MLB notes: Rod Carew receives new heart and kidney

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Twins player Rod Carew speaks to fans about his recent heart attack during TwinsFest in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2016.

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Twins player Rod Carew speaks to fans about his recent heart attack during TwinsFest in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2016. (Hannah Foslien / Associated Press)

Associated Press

Former Angels infielder Rod Carew underwent successful heart and kidney transplant surgery Friday and is expected to make a full recovery. The Minnesota Twins said that the procedure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles lasted 13 hours.

“We are overwhelmed with emotions right now — joy, relief, excitement and especially gratitude for all the doctors and nurses who have been with us at every step in this journey, and to the donor who made this possible,” Carew’s wife, Rhonda, told American Heart Assn. News.

The 71-year-old former Twins and Angels star had a heart attack in September 2015 and shortly thereafter had a left ventricular assist device implanted in his heart as a temporary fix to keep his heart going.

A record six teams are paying baseball’s luxury tax this season, led by the Dodgers at $31.8 million and the New York Yankees at $27.4 million.

Boston ($4.5 million), Detroit ($4 million), San Francisco ($3.4 million) and the World Series champion Chicago Cubs ($2.96 million) also were sent bills Friday by the commissioner’s office, according to information obtained by the Associated Press.

The Yankees are paying for the 14th straight year since the tax began, raising their total to $325 million. New York has said it hopes to get below the threshold by 2018.

Los Angeles owes for the fourth consecutive year and like New York pays at a 50% rate on the amount above the $189 million threshold. The Dodgers paid a record $43 million for 2015, and their four-year total is $113 million.

Boston and San Francisco pay at a 30% rate as offenders for the second straight year, and Detroit and the Cubs — a first-time payer — are at 17.5%.

The Yankees’ regular payroll was second at $224.5 million, up slightly from last year’s $223.6 million, followed by Boston ($200.6 million), Detroit ($199 million), the Cubs ($182 million), San Francisco ($181 million) and the Angels ($173 million).

Milwaukee had the lowest payroll at $65.5 million, down from $98 million last year.

Etc.

Two people familiar with the deal said right-hander Brad Ziegler agreed Friday to a $16-million, two-year contract with the Miami Marlins, who added their second former Red Sox reliever in as many days. The people confirmed the deal to the AP on condition of anonymity because it won’t be final until Ziegler passes a physical. The agreement came shortly after right-hander Junichi Tazawa finalized his $12-million, two-year contract with the Marlins.